Listen while you read: https://youtu.be/1pqttl9aWm0
In the early morning rain with a dollar in my hand
With an aching in my heart and my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home, and I miss my loved one so
In the early morning rain with no place to go
Out on runway #9, big 707 set to go
Well, I'm stuck here on the grass where the pavement never grows
Where the liquor tasted good, and all the women all were fast
There, there she goes, my friend, she's rolling down at last
Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver wing on high
She's away and westward bound; far above the clouds she'll fly
Where the morning rain don't fall, and the sun always shines
She'll be flying over my home in about three hours time
This old airport's got me down; it's no damn good to me
And I'm stuck here on the ground as cold and drunk as I can be
Can't jump a jet plane like you can a freight train
So I best be on my way in the early morning rain
~ Gordon Lightfoot
You guessed it. I woke up to rain this morning, a much-needed rain here in south Florida. And then, because the music gods sometimes like to make things easy for me, my guy's iTunes shuffle offered this song. "Bob Dylan," I said. "Gordon Lightfoot," he replied. And he was right. I just hadn't gone back far enough, to 1965 when the song was released on Lightfoot! (although Judy Collins sang it first on her Fifth Album). Bob didn't record it until 1970 on Self-Portrait. Others who have recorded it include Ian & Sylvia, Peter, Paul & Mary, Elvis Presley, The Grateful Dead, and Paul Weller. I guess it's the Dylan version that stands out for me. But with all due credit to Gordon, the link above will offer you his version.
There's a plane in the song, and as coincidence would have it, today I am determined to book our flights out to Seattle for our summer road trip. Playing the airline fares game is exhausting, and with no new deals showing up in the last two weeks, we are ready to bite the bullet and pay through the nose, simply because we can't start booking hotels until we know our flight dates and times. One would think that a certain airline (one of only two that offer non-stops from EWR to SEA) would be lowering prices to win back customers who'd jumped on the boycott wagon a couple of weeks ago. But apparently not. Of course, we all know how this will end; 25 hours after I book, a lower fare will appear.
Back to the rain. The expectation is 2"-3" today. As lovely as the rain sounds and smells here in this lush environment, I would prefer not to be driving on the Interstate during the downpours, despite wanting to be back to my place before dark. Florida roads can gather several inches of flash flooding in a very short time, and I am not an experienced driver under those conditions. So I will wait it out. I'm not complaining, though. The company is good where I am, and booking those flights together will alleviate the stress of that decision-making. And then, on to the lodging search!
And of course, I am putting my request in to the weather gods for a minimal amount of rain on my summer road trip. We'll see how that works out.
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